whats the difference?
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 26
whats the difference?
Whats the difference between a $100 pair of binoculars and a $300 or $400 pair? I currently use a $100 pair of bushnell's for deer hunting and am looking to upgrade, however i can't afford something like a zeiss or swarovski. Is a $300-400 pair worth the upgrade? If so, does anyone have any suggestions for binos in that price range?
Thanks
Thanks
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 666
Yes, there is a difference. More difference between your $100 pair and the $300-400 bino's than between the $300-400's and the high dollar stuff, IMO.
Even going down to the $200 range you can find some very servicable bino's. Nilkon is good, Leopold is good, I have a pair of Minox 8x42 that I paid $150 for that are as good as the 2 pairs of Leopold bino's I have.
Try looking thru the differnt posts here about what bino to get, lots of good sugestions and links to vendors.
Even going down to the $200 range you can find some very servicable bino's. Nilkon is good, Leopold is good, I have a pair of Minox 8x42 that I paid $150 for that are as good as the 2 pairs of Leopold bino's I have.
Try looking thru the differnt posts here about what bino to get, lots of good sugestions and links to vendors.
#3
+1 for Goatbrother's comment
"More difference between your $100 pair and the $300-400 bino's than between the $300-400's and the high dollar stuff, IMO."
Good place to start; Shop by price
http://www.opticsplanet.net/binoculars.html
"More difference between your $100 pair and the $300-400 bino's than between the $300-400's and the high dollar stuff, IMO."
Good place to start; Shop by price
http://www.opticsplanet.net/binoculars.html
#6
I think the ATB is a good value at somewhere around $300. I bought a pair for my wife to carry around, and the darn things are pretty good.
There are some mid-priced Leupolds that get great reviews. As I have never looked through them myself I don't have an opinion on them, but the serious birdwatchers love them. Check out a birdwatcher site if you want the straight scoop on binoculars and camera lenses (those people are serious!).
#7
First off I wouldn't even look at roof prism models at that price range.
I would go straight to Porro prism models.Porro prism have their advantages over roof prism in alot of areas and are often over looked.
But the main advantage is price.At over half the price of a quality roof prism you can get some extremely great binos in the porros that will last a lifetime. Stiener Nikon Pentax all make some great porro prism models at the 300 dollar price range, and if you compare them to the same priced roof prisms, and even some roof prism models in the 400 and 500 and 600 dollar range, they just make sense.If I was on a 200 -300 budget and couldn't wait, Porro Prism would be the optics I'd look at.
I would go straight to Porro prism models.Porro prism have their advantages over roof prism in alot of areas and are often over looked.
But the main advantage is price.At over half the price of a quality roof prism you can get some extremely great binos in the porros that will last a lifetime. Stiener Nikon Pentax all make some great porro prism models at the 300 dollar price range, and if you compare them to the same priced roof prisms, and even some roof prism models in the 400 and 500 and 600 dollar range, they just make sense.If I was on a 200 -300 budget and couldn't wait, Porro Prism would be the optics I'd look at.
Last edited by Jeff Ovington; 12-31-2010 at 12:50 PM.